


A Wizarding World Tale: Life at Myrddin University

by MartinXicartsCaram



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Coming of Age, F/F, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Multi, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Post-Hogwarts, University, Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MartinXicartsCaram/pseuds/MartinXicartsCaram
Summary: Once Hogwarts' over, it's time for college life! The times have changed for the wizarding community all along Britain and Ireland. Now in 2019, and for the past fifteen years, wizards and witches have to improve their abilities and knowledge attending to MYRDDIN UNIVERSITY FOR ADVANCED MAGICAL EDUCATION. But choosing a career and lay down your future can be a scary thing to do.That's what worries Wyn Penoyre, the son of the headmaster himself, as well as his best friend, Jackie Ireland, and so many other young people. How's it going to be? What are they going to learn? Will it be easy? Have their former classmates grown up or are they still behaving like teenagers? And what's life really about once you reach adulthood?They're going to find love and friendship, and also hate and pain, but above all else, there's going to be a great deal of learning!
Kudos: 2





	1. The Graduate

**Author's Note:**

> This story is book canon only.  
> Some Harry Potter characters are going to show up, but it mostly involves original characters.  
> This story is available tu adapt for podfics, just let me know so I can go listen to it.  
> Harry Potter© and the Wizarding World© were created by J.K. Rowling.

His mother parked the car in front of his grandparents’ house. Wyn — a tall, skinny and ordinary looking eighteen year old — rested his head in the dashboard in front of him. His mother sighed and turned off the engine.

“What’s the problem now, honey?” she asked, as if they hadn’t been talking about it all the way there.

Wyn didn’t raise his head.

“Dad is going to be there,” he answered. _That_ they didn’t talk about.

“Well, that’s good” his mother said, her tone unconvincing. “You didn’t see him since your graduation, and that was almost two months ago.”

Wyn finally made visual contact with her, his brownish amber eyes shining with concern.

“Yes, all right, but one thing is to talk with the rest of the family about the fact that I have no idea what I’m going to do about my future” he said, waving his hands to emphasize his words, “and another thing is to talk about _that_ with the headmaster of the bloody university.”

“Oh, rubbish!” exclaimed his mother, visibly irritated. “You don’t need to idealize your father. He is just a man, with or without magic.”

“I don’t idealize him, it’s just... _I mean_ ,” protested Wyn, and then he started to count on his fingers. “He has worked in Magical Law, in the Wizengamot, in the International Confederation of Wizards, in Magical Education and now he runs the University of Magic. How am I supposed to live up to all that?”

Juliet Bruce looked at her son and let a warm smile flourish across her face. He was looking rather hopeless with all those brown, dishevelled curls of his and that shy beard that didn’t seem to want to come out (though Wyn would be embarrassed if he knew I’m being this descriptive.)

“Look sweetheart, it’s completely understandable if you don’t know what you want to do with your future yet. I know the Penoyres are a family of accomplished people, but would it be that bad if you got your clumsiness and uncertainties from your mother’s side?”

He smiled back, a little bit ashamed. He didn’t want to make her feel bad.

“I can’t tell you what it feels like to be a wizard, or a witch, or all those wonderful things you have in your world, but I do think that people are people, wands or no wands. And real people do not always have their paths traced before them like that famous Henry Potter your lot has.”

“Harry.”

“It doesn’t matter. _My point is_ : don’t rush your life when you just started to live it,” said his mother before smacking a kiss on his forehead. “Now go and enjoy a day with your family. You don’t see them quite enough and I’m really late for my night shift.”

Wyn nodded and hugged his mother. “Thanks mum.”

He left the car and approached the door of his grandparents’ house. He loved his family, but he always felt like a very small person compared to them. His grandfather, Owen Penoyre, was a retired Oxford professor and a renowned name in Welsh literature. His grandmother, Gwendolyn, was a retired lawyer who became successful when women lawyers weren’t a thing. Then, of course, there was his father, the first wizard in the family. Next was his aunt Siana, also a witch, who became a famous Quidditch Chaser who played in the Holyhead Harpies and in the Welsh National team, and who disputed two Quidditch World Cups. She was very nice to him, though, and they even shared the same yellow and black Hogwarts House. Finally, his uncle Evan was also an Oxford teacher and his wife worked in 10 Downing Street.

Let me tell you, the bar was set very high. Not knowing what you’d like to do with your future in a family like that was a bit maddening.

Wyn rang the bell and turned around to see his mother waving at him as she drove away, with the sun reflecting in her golden mane. The door opened and in front of him he saw a fifty-one-year-old witch who welcomed him with the biggest smile on Earth. She was dressed with a proper Muggle outfit that emphasized her dyed red hair and her makeup.

“Aw, but if it’s no other than my cute little nephew!” She hugged him with the strength of a warrior. “How come you don’t visit me more often, huh? I know you can Apparate now!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Aunt Si” he answered while they came inside the house. “How are you? How’s Emma?”

By the look of his aunt, that wasn’t a great question to ask — _again_.

“Well, apparently we didn’t see eye-to-eye about what we wanted in life, so she left. No, actually, I left” Siana said like she didn’t care about the whole thing anymore, though Wyn could saw a brief frown upon her face.

“Oh,” was Wyn’s only response. He had met several of his aunt’s girlfriends, but he did like Emma the best. What a pity.

In the living room he found his grandfather smoking a cigarette and reading the newspaper, and his uncle and ten-year-old cousin playing with a new videogame. The room was big and comfy, with a big plasma TV and three windows that let the sun shone bright. Like everything else in the house — and I’ve seen houses — the furniture and ornaments on this one let everyone know that this was the home of very wealthy people.

“Oh, Wyn, how’s it going?” asked his grandfather as he folded the paper on his lap. Wyn couldn’t help to notice the old man managed to grow twice as many wrinkles in the last year, but his hair was still thick and white. “Did you come alone?”

“No, my mum gave me a lift.”

“And where is she? She didn’t want to come in, isn’t she?” the old man asked looking at the door. Wyn didn’t really want to explain the complicated relationship between his parents, and fortunately his uncle came to his rescue.

“Hey, mate, how are you? Didn’t see you since Christmas,” he said while pausing the game. That gave the opportunity for little Timothy to run towards his big cousin and show him the new presents he had received.

“Happy birthday, buddy!” said Wyn, tousling his cousin’s hair. “I was going to bring you a set of Wizard’s Chess, but I couldn’t go to—” but he couldn’t finish his sentence because his aunt Siana elbowed him in the ribs. “Sorry” he said, remembering now that Timothy still wasn’t aware about the nature of some of the members in his family. That didn’t stop the boy to ask questions, though.

“Wizard’s Chess? What’s that?”

Wyn’s ears went red as he noticed the look in his uncle’s face. He wasn’t happy.

“It’s a — eh, a silly game from the eighties, probably you wouldn’t like it. But I brought you this,” he added, before giving the kid a small ball that magically changed colours if you moved it in your hand. Wyn spent a whole afternoon getting that spell right.

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Timothy exclaimed.

The sound of footsteps arriving from the kitchen caught his attention. His grandmother — a small chubby woman with the eyes of an eagle — was carrying a plate with snacks into the living room. Among some ham and cheese cut into pieces, Wyn could see his favourite combination of crisps with guacamole sauce.

“Hello, sweetheart, I’m glad you finally arrived,” she said, giving him the plate and then two kisses, one in each cheek, but without touching them. “Put this _bap_ on the table, please. And _you_ ” she added, pointing at his husband before returning to the kitchen, “put that _fag_ away in this instant or you’ll hear the last of me.”

Grandpa Owen murmured displeased, “Dyw dyw dyw” before pressing the cigarette reluctantly against the ashtray. Wyn said nothing and put the plate on the table in the middle of the room. When he was with his paternal family he always acted shy and quiet, an attitude that would utterly surprise his best friend Jackie. The last person to show up was his Aunt April, talking to her mobile phone as usual — she was a very busy person, probably more than his own father.

“—yes, Mr. Sutton, I know what the document says — No, I don’t think that — Right, but... Oh, hi Wyn — No, but — Can you listen to me? What you didn’t notice in the third page was that—”

And as she came in she left, trying not to raise her voice to this Mr. Sutton.

“So, Wyn, where’s your father?” his Aunt Si asked sitting in one of the couches.

And, as if he had been magically summoned, Peter Penoyre appeared walking down the stairs — and yes, magic was indeed involved. He was a man in his fifties, with a big baldness trying to take over his whole head, with grey hairs wherever they remained. He wasn’t very tall and the years made him a bit chubby. As opposed to that, his movements were fast and agile, as if his body always knew where it was going and what it was going to do. He greeted everyone, gave Timothy a present and finally stopped before his son.

“How are you, champ? I’ve missed you this summer,” he said, looking at him through his round glasses.

“Yes, sorry, dad, but... you know, I didn’t want to stay on campus before actually attending the school,” he answered, trying to sound convincing.

“I understand,” his father agreed, “Though I’ve been in America this last week, you could’ve come.”

Wyn smiled shyly, but he didn’t reply. He knew his father was seeing an American witch recently and he wasn’t dying to meet her, exactly. Though his parents got divorced more than ten years ago, he wasn’t very keen to interact with the new partners they made throughout those years.

The family sat at the table and started with the meal. There were a variety of potato salad, boiled peas and carrots, goat pie with truffles and a big platter with roast beef and, on the side, there was gravy sauce to pour over the meat. Wyn tried to stay quiet and go unnoticed, but the question he feared finally came.

“So, Wyn, have you decided what you are going to study?” asked Grandma Gwendolyn. He gulped and opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come out. His father seemed to be looking at him rather intensely.

“Well, I — yes, right — the thing is—” he mumbled while scratching the back of his head.

“Come on, champ, you had all last year and last summer, _surely_ you have chosen something by now,” said his father, frowning. “Did you read the Law College program I sent you?”

“Yes,” Wyn lied. “But I don’t know if—”

“You’d have a lot of work in the Department of Law Enforcement, or the Wizengamot, and let’s not even talk about the Department of International Cooperation,” his father continued, cleverly removing all the “magic” related words for Timothy’s sake.

“Come on, let him be, he still has time” his Aunt Si replied, before her attention was required again by her sister-in-law and her topic about gardening.

Peter didn’t mind her and continued with his interrogation. “What about Creatures? Wasn’t your friend going to study that? You could join her, it’s not a bad career, and we even got Rolf Scamander as head of college.”

“I know,” Wyn said, fixing his attention on the plate in front of him. “But I don’t really know if I want that.”

“Wyn, champ, you can study whatever you want, but you have to _hurry_ because the term is starting next week and you still have to buy your materials. I already saved you a room in the Student Quarters. What, are you planning on taking a _sabbatical_?” He said that last word as if it could conjure You-Know-Who.

Peter Penoyre had always that skill — he could go from being the perfect, caring father to the pushy demanding one, always with his passive-aggressive comments.

“You could do something in education too,” added his Grandpa Owen. “Don’t you like the idea of teaching? It is very gratifying, Evan, innit?” he asked his second son.

“Yes, if the hat suits you for that,” Uncle Evan answered, serving himself a spoon of potatoes.

Wyn was ashamed before, but now he was getting angry. As I said, he loved his family, but sometimes he’d like them not to be as nosy and opinionated with the importance they gave to culture and intellectualism. Sometimes they were too snobbish for his taste. He thought about his mum and her untidy life, always living one day at a time, always busy with her hospital schedule — and that rang a bell for him. He knew exactly what would piss his father off.

“Alright, alright, I’ll concede. I know what I’m going to study.”

“And what’s that?” asked his father, taken by surprise for his sudden change of mind.

“Medical College,” Wyn answered, staring at his father’s eyes. Peter, meanwhile, forced a smile and congratulated him.

“That’s excellent, then. Never took you for a Healer, but it’s a noble profession indeed,” Peter said.

Wyn wasn’t proud of bashing his father with the man’s resentments about his former marriage, but the boy thought he deserved it. Now he had another problem: actually believing that he was made for medical school like his mother.

* * *

A week later, September 1st found Wyn sitting in a rock next to the empty dirt road that led to Myrddin University for Advanced Magical Education in Snowdonia, Wales. In front of him he had the walls that separated him from the imposing building complex that resembled the glamorous Oxford colleges. From his position he could see the six towers of different sizes and heights distributed in the buildings landscape — with the identical St Mungo’s and Wizengamot Towers, one in each side of the main entrance — and the five-story central building that housed the Great Hall, the Cloister and the Staff Quarters, among other things. The roofs of the other buildings varied between two and three stories each and most of them were built upon an English Gothic and Gothic Revival style — with its pointed arches in the windows, doors and other decorative elements, while the roofs were steeply pitched and it also showcased front facing gables with delicate wooden trim. On the other side of the campus the sun reflected in a large crystal dome inhabited by all the most exciting magical creatures, except for the most dangerous ones. Wyn had visited it only once during his childhood.

As he was looking at all the first semester wizards and witches Apparate in the main gate, with its big stone arch, something — or better said someone — grabbed him from the bushes laying behind the rock he was sitting on.

“Ha! I knew you were waiting for me, you little chicken!” exclaimed Jackie Ireland, his best friend. “You didn’t dare to go in alone?”

She released him and passed by him to stand in the road and look at the University of Magic. Wyn looked at her and was surprised by some new changes she made to her looks. For starters, Jackie had dyed platinum stripes in her dark hair, which contrasted with her mahogany skin colour. She was wearing a V-Neck fuchsia sweater that revealed a black T-shirt underneath, and all that accompanied by a grey kilt that didn’t go below her knees. Black sheer tights went all the way down before being covered by two strong purple boots. Hanging in her left arm she had the light blue robe, Myrddin’s mandatory uniform. She looked stunning.

In comparison, Wyn thought he didn’t have any sense of style. He was so used to wearing Muggle clothing that he only brought a pair of grey jeans and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Over it, he was already wearing the robe.

“I like your hair,” he said. She looked at him and chuckled.

“And you need a haircut _as soon as possible_ ,” she answered.

“That’s your envy talking” Wyn replied while jumping off the rock. He then joined Jackie in her way to the entrance. “So, have you already enrolled in the Magical Creatures College?”

“Of course. Last week I went to Diagon Alley for my stuff, remember? That owl I sent you? You weren’t there mate,” she complained.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry. Just two days ago I finally signed up for Medical College. I wasn’t sure. I _am_ not sure. But if I dared to consider a sabbatical, my father would’ve put me to clean floors all year long in here in less than you could say _‘Thanks for understanding me dad’_ ,” Wyn explained annoyed.

“Well, at least your father’s there,” she said before they reached the main gate. Practically all their former Hogwarts classmates were walking and talking and laughing on the long gravel passage that led to the Entrance Hall. Both sides of the path were closed by the walls of majestic buildings that housed several of the different classes that Myrddin’s colleges offered. Although the university wasn’t founded more than fifteen years ago, it looked like it had stood there for centuries.

When they were almost in front of the main complex, someone hit Wyn in the back of his head with an open hand. He turned fast, his right hand reaching for his wand, when he saw a face he wasn’t expecting to see ever again — Scott Floyd.

“What’s up, Penoyre? Ready to spend three beautiful years with me?” the guy asked with his best smug smile. Scott was taller than him and his ginger hair was tied back in a ponytail. A red goatee and a shiny ear piercing showed that he wasn’t a kid anymore.

“What do you mean?” Wyn asked.

“Didn’t you read the enrolment list? What a twat. I’m going to be a Healer too!” Floyd exclaimed. “See you tomorrow in our first class, Maggot.” In a matter of seconds he got lost in the crowd. Wyn’s stomach dropped.

“Can you believe this?” Wyn asked Jackie.

“Mate, you’re pissed by an elephant. Or a lion, in this case,” she answered, but not too worried about his friend’s problems. After all, Scott Floyd learned not to piss her off. He was a former Gryffindor student, with no known friends, who seemed to have found his destiny in life by tormenting Wyn whenever and wherever he saw fit.

Wyn growled under his breath and looked ahead, thinking what a miserable year he was going to have with his father as the headmaster and his former — and now rediscovered — bully in his same classes. But, with the speed of a lightning strike, the most beautiful presence showed up in his line of sight. He opened up his eyes and tugged Jackie by her robe.

“Do you see that?” he asked.

“What?”

“ _Her_.”

She followed his eyes, but didn’t understand what he was referring to.

“Victoire Weasley?” she asked, smiling as if his friend had gone crazy. The famous daughter of Fleur Delacour was a year older than them and had always caught everyone’s eye.

“No,” Wyn answered redundantly, “the girl next to her.”

“What about her?”

“Who is she? I’ve never seen her before.”

Jackie snorted at another of her friend’s crushes.

“Who cares? Probably you never noticed her because she hangs ‘round a Veela witch, and, you know, because of Lucy—” but she stopped right there and thought it was better if she didn’t say another word. Wyn felt the skin of his ears go red and pretended not to have heard her.

Suddenly both of them were terribly uncomfortable. Why? Well, that’s because of the... _necklace incident_. We’ll talk about it soon.

What broke Wyn’s attention was the sudden appearance of a small old House-elf who stood in the middle of the Entrance Hall. Victoire Weasley and her mysterious friend had disappeared and only the first semester students remained. The elf was dressed with a black suit and a jacket that was rather big for him. Under it he had a grey waistcoat and a maroon ascot tie. His long, drooping nose gave him a stern, severe look.

He was Snarl, the butler and caretaker of Myrddin, and with his apparition they were ready to begin.


	2. The University of Magic

All the first semester students were standing in the Entrance Hall waiting for their introduction to their new life at Myrddin University. In front of them was Snarl, the House-elf and butler of campus, who cleared his throat and said in a deep voice.

“Snarl welcomes you to Myrddin University for Advanced Magical Education. Snarl is the butler and caretaker and expects you, _first semesters_ , to abide by the rules. You are not in school anymore, so you may start practising your good manners from _now on_.” That sounded more like an ultimatum to Wyn than a friendly welcome.

“Excuse _me_? You’re a... _you’re a House-elf_!” exclaimed a dark-haired girl with disgust. She was wearing a green and silver scarf around her neck. “I’m not going to receive orders from a servant.”

Snarl didn’t even bother to look at her. Without a pinch of change in his expression, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the girl’s scarf came to life and wrapped itself around her head, covering her mouth, and stopped her to keep talking. Everyone else stood stiff and nobody dared to say another word.

“Snarl will show you to the Cloister now and the first semesters will meet the headmaster for a proper introduction. _Chop, chop_ , move along!” the butler commanded, leading the group through a door in the Entrance Hall. There were four other doors in that empty room — aside from some waiting chairs — and, from his previous visits to the university, Wyn knew they led to the Great Hall, the Staff Quarters, the cleaning and kitchen area, and the Arrival Courtyard from where they just came in.

The Cloister was a big quadrangle yard and the heart of the university. It was surrounded by imposing Gothic cream-coloured-buildings with black roofs and small, pointy pinnacles on the top. The windows were tall and stretched to the tops of the buildings with a sharp point at the top. Freshly mowed grass stretched across the length of the yard; neat, trimmed bushed decorated the sides, with several benches scattered throughout the place. Around the Cloister, if you looked up, you’d see engravings of several historical, famous British wizards and witches, from the four Hogwarts’ founders to more recent ones like Albus Dumbledore.

The northwest side housed the Staff Quarters with the rooms for the headmaster, the heads of college, the professors and other staff members. It also included a common room, a small library and a big bathroom that resembled a luxurious spa.

While the students came into the Cloister, Jackie pulled out a map of the university and checked it out.

“Here we have the Library and the Hospital Wing,” she told Wyn, while pointing to the buildings in the southwest and southeast sides, respectively. “This cloister is fantastic,” she muttered. “There are three passageways to get out of it between these buildings. One goes to the Arrival Courtyard, another to the Advanced Charms wing and the last one goes to the Magical Medical College area. That’s you.”

“Well, we’ll see if I remember all that,” Wyn scoffed.

Once everyone stopped glancing at the Cloister, their attention went to the headmaster itself, Peter Penoyre, who was waiting them in the middle of the garden. The wizard was dressed with a long dark blue robe and a bronze pointy hat. (If you want my opinion, Wyn’s father never seemed to be too ashamed of showing off the colours he had sympathy for.)

“Welcome!” he announced, with opened arms. His eyes, always quick to find issues, stopped at the girl who spoke to Snarl earlier, still gripped by her clothing. With a flick of his wand, the green scarf unravelled and rested back on her shoulder. She didn’t look pleased at all, but restrained herself from muttering another word. “Thank you, Snarl, you can go now,” he said politely to the House-elf. Snarl bowed his head and he wasn’t there an instant later.

“I imagine all of you are very excited to start your first semester in the University of Magic,” Penoyre continued. “We have six colleges on campus, and we offer a total of twelve careers and four independent courses to prepare you for your future. As you may know, all of you who did well in your N.E.W.T. exams will find college smooth and pleasant, enjoying more opportunities and advantages than those who didn’t think of taking them more... _seriously_ ,” he added this last bit while his eyes lingered on Wyn disapprovingly.

“Now, a few rules you have to comply with. Because we’re all adults here at Myrddin, Apparition is allowed in the school’s premises, but we request you to do it only in the following locations: your room in the Students Quarters, if you have one, in the Arrival Courtyard and the Cloister. It is _completely forbidden_ to Apparate in the classrooms and in the buildings ‘round you, except for the Hospital Wing, but only in case of emergency. We discourage you to do it in the rest of the courtyards, but we’re flexible about it.

“If you can’t or if you don’t want to Apparate, we have only one fireplace per building connected to the Floo Network, but you can _only_ use them to travel to or from outside of campus. And, in the case of brooms, if you’re not in one of the Quidditch teams, do not use them. We already had to get someone off a roof once because he passed out in mid-flight. If it’s your only way of travel, you can fly directly here and leave the broom in the lockers of the Cloister’s external corridor. Understood?”

__

Everyone nodded at the same time, but they remained quiet.

__

“Very well. Now, about the uniform, you have to wear it always during class periods, but you may don casual attire in your free time. You may use the Library to study and work, or you may go to one of the study rooms we have in each building. I hope you realize you came here to learn and improve yourself and not to waste your time doing... _anything else_ ,” he said with a serious tone, because what came next was one of the things the students were more interested about. “That being said, you know Myrddin has four clubs, each representing one of the four Hogwarts’ Houses. I’m not going to lie, we tried to forbid them when the students first founded them, but now we _only_ allow their existence _if_ you understand that they’re not official clubs and that _we are not_ responsible for them.”

__

Peter Penoyre sent one of his most inquisitive looks, trying to find out who was going to be the new troublemaker of the semester.

__

“We don’t host a ‘House Cup’ and we don’t grant points for behaviour. You’re adults now and we expect you to behave as such. If you don’t, you’ll face consequences. _Understood_?”

__

Once again, you could’ve cut the silence with a knife.

__

“I didn’t hear you.”

__

“YES, SIR.” Everyone answered in unison. The headmaster smirked.

__

“Excellent. Now, go to your rooms, walk ‘round the campus and enjoy the rest of the day. Dinner will be served at six in the Great Hall. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you, so have a good rest!” And, with those last words, he too disappeared with a _crack_.

__

“He’s truly a cheerleader, your father, eh, mate?” Jackie said to Wyn. He sighed and hoped to stay as anonymous as possible for the rest of his tenure there.

__

* * *

Wyn and Jackie followed a big part of the crowd heading to the Students Quarters. They went through one of the passageways and found themselves just in front of the Advanced Charms class building. It had an imposing facade and above the main doors they saw two big stone wands crossing each other. The building was predominantly white and it had some decorative columns attached to the walls.

__

“If we go to the right, we’ll find the Lufkin Courtyard and right in front of it are the female dormitories,” said Jackie while looking at her map again. Wyn paid attention because it was his first time in this part of the university.

__

“That’s perfect, but, what about the male quarters?” he asked.

__

“You can turn left before you reach the female ones, or you can go left here,” she said pointing in the other direction. “Go pass the Waffling Courtyard, and then right ‘round the Training Chambers, but before you reach the Architecture and Broomsticks building. You’ll see the male quarters because the Western Tower is part of that building,” she answered.

__

Wyn pulled a grimacing expression and Jackie rolled her eyes.

__

"I'll take you there then," she said.

__

“You’re my savior!” he exclaimed, planting a kiss in her cheek.

__

“Ew, mate! Germs!” Jackie giggled and pushed him away, though he walked away on his own trying not to act weird because of that closeness. She just hid her gaze behind the map.

__

They set out to the Lufkin Courtyard, the first one she mentioned. They could see it at the end of the outdoor corridor they were following, with the Charms building on their left and the Staff Quarters on the right. The courtyard was full of trees, bushes, pathways and benches. The sun of that September’s afternoon was reflecting quite magically through the leaves of the trees, casting light shows on the grass. A big statue of Artemisia Lufkin — the first female Minister for Magic for Great Britain — was stationed in the middle of the grounds, barely moving, but still greeting the new students with a rigorous expression.

__

“Look! Those statues are talking to each other!” exclaimed Jackie pointing at where the roof of the Great Hall dropped. Wyn followed her direction and saw two old wizards made of stone _arguing_ more than talking. The pigeons around them took flight before a fight broke out. Wyn was so concentrated with what was happening that he didn’t see a bush before him and ended up falling in the ground, leaves clinging in his hair and on his clothes. Jackie laughed out loud at the sight.

__

“Merlin’s pants! You’re the clumsiest man alive,” she said before helping him up.

__

“Yeah, well, without my clumsiness you wouldn’t know you have good balance,” he answered while scrubbing his robe. Jackie reached out and removed some leaves from his hair. Wyn let her.

__

“Right. I’ll go to my room now, see you at the feast!” said Jackie before heading to the female dormitories. Wyn saw her leave and then turned left to the male quarters.

__

His father had arranged for him to have a room all by himself, though he wasn’t comfortable with that sort of privilege. The building was three-stories tall, and the Western Tower was about 180 feet tall, showing a design not too different from the two towers of the Tower Bridge in London. Wyn’s room was Dormitory 94 on the third floor, with a big window facing the Lufkin Courtyard.

__

He stepped inside, after greeting some of his former schoolmates from Hufflepuff, and found two beds equipped with two wardrobes and two desks, with a small bathroom on one side of the room. Wyn’s trunk was already on the floor, so he opened it and started to put his things on top of the bed closer to the window, with no apparent order. While he was doing that — and daydreaming about the girl he saw earlier in the Entrance Hall — something furry brushed his leg, making him jump out of fright.

__

“Bloody hell!” he screamed, before realising what was the cause of it. A hairy, red Somali cat jumped as well, frightened by Wyn’s scream, and ended up standing in his four legs on the bed. The cat looked at his owner with his yellow eyes, as if it was expecting an explanation for such a reaction. Wyn sighed with relief and grabbed the cat with his hands.

__

“What were you trying to do, Robin? I already told you, you can’t just show up like that without a warning or something,” said Wyn, scratching Robin’s ear at the same time. That seemed to satisfy the feline, whom purred with contentment.

__

Suddenly, the door opened and someone smirked from the entrance. Wyn stood up immediately at the sight of Scott Floyd carrying a trunk of his own.

__

“What are you doing here?” asked Wyn. He was determined to not take more crap from this guy.

__

“Well, I was mistaken, Maggot. You were going to see me again before tomorrow’s first class,” the ginger wizard said, sneering at Wyn, while entering the room like it was his.

__

“This is _my_ room, Floyd. Get out,” said Wyn, planting himself in front of him.

__

Scott held his gaze and then he handed him a piece of parchment. Wyn took it and read what was written in it.

__

“This can’t be right,” he muttered.

__

“Why? Did you think you were special, Maggot?” Scott passed him, bumping his shoulder, and looked at the room. He nodded with satisfaction and then he threw all of Wyn’s stuff to the floor, before putting his own trunk on the same bed. Meanwhile, Wyn couldn’t believe what was happening.

__

“I paid for a room last night, but they told me that all of them were occupied. All except this one,” explained Scott, now arranging and ordering his belongings in the window’s side of the room. Wyn sat on the other desk’s chair and sighed.

__

“This can’t be happening.”

__

“Don’t be such a twat, we’re going to have fun,” Scott chuckled, before he hung a Gryffindor flag on the wall above his bed. He had also brought a cage with a stunning black owl, which he pointed out to Wyn. “Hey, Maggot, hand me over Mouseslayer.”

__

Wyn did it reluctantly. “We’re not thirteen anymore, you can stop with that ‘Maggot’ crap.”

__

“You’d like that, eh, _Maggot_?”

__

Wyn was starting to turn red with anger. He took out his wand, pointed it to all his clothes scattered on the floor and exclaimed: “ _Ordinem Indumentis!_ ” The spell was intended to sort out his wardrobe, but he was so annoyed with Floyd that everything flew everywhere, making his belongings even messier. Scott laughed at him and then took his own wand to try the same spell. He managed to tidy up everything with a few flicks, putting Wyn’s clothes on the wardrobe.

__

“You’re such a loser,” the former Gryffindor said. Scott softly slapped Wyn in the cheek three times and then left the room, leaving him even more embarrassed. Wyn threw his wand on his bed and then looked at Robin, who was glancing at him disapprovingly.

__

“Yes, I know.”

__

* * *

Once he finished unpacking, Wyn left the dormitories and headed towards the Great Hall. The feast was about to begin and he still had to find Jackie. On his way back through the Lufkin Courtyard, Wyn saw a familiar face approaching from the north-western gate — the one that led to the Quidditch pitch. Walking towards him was Emma Oakes, his Aunt Siana’s former girlfriend and the current Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Myrddin.

__

Emma was a forty-six-year-old witch with dark hair and tanned skin thanks to all the work she did under the sun. She had shaved the right side of her head, leaving the rest of her long hair fall down on the left side. She looked younger than she was, particularly with the brown overall and the bronze-patched coat she was wearing for outside work, in a stylish-Muggle fashion. After all, Emma was a Muggle-born witch, and she never detached too much from that side of her personality. There were a few wooden boxes floating after her, and she was carrying on her shoulder a big yellow sack of something that seemed to be moving.

__

“Oy! Wyn!” Emma called him. Wyn smiled and approached her. “How are you, pal? I forgot you were going to start college this year.”

__

“Yeah, well, I supposed we never really talked about it. What have you got there?” he asked, pointing to the sack.

__

“This? It’s nothing, really,” she answered. But whatever was inside it, it seemed to notice that Emma had stopped and it started to move more violently. She put an end to it with a fast punch. “Just a couple of noisy, annoying gnomes.”

__

“Right,” said Wyn, with no real interest in those little creatures. “Are you going to the feast later?”

__

“Nah,” Emma shook her head. “Already saw too many of them.”

__

She seemed to want to ask him something but couldn’t find the right words. Wyn was expecting some kind of question about his aunt, and he himself wanted to know what had happened there, but he also said nothing about it.

__

“So... do you need any help with that?” he asked, trying to fill the sudden silence that fell between them.

__

“No, it’s okay. Thank you, kid. I better keep going. Come to see me one of these days.”

__

“That sounds great, we can have some tea and catch up,” offered Wyn.

__

“I was thinking something _stronger_ , but sure, I have tea if you want,” Emma smirked. Wyn’s ears went red, ashamed of still thinking like a teenager.

__

“Of course. That as well. No problem,” he added, mumbling. “Do you live in a hut somewhere like Hagrid at Hogwarts?”

__

Emma laughed at the thought of it and shook her head again. “No, come on! I can look like a bum, but I have good taste and style, you know? I have my apartment in the quarters I share with Snarl, back there in the Arrival Courtyard.”

__

“Ok, then, I’ll let you know sometime this week!” said Wyn and, waving his hand, they resumed their respective ways.

__

Jackie was waiting for him at the entrance of the female student quarters. She was talking with Lois Greenwall, a former housemate of them and also Jackie’s teammate in the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Wyn greeted her and then the two friends headed directly to the Great Hall.

__

“I’m thinking of signing on for the Hufflepuff team here, maybe I could have a shot at the Myrddin Quidditch team. They select the best players of each club after the Inter-Club Cup and, though it’s an amateur team, they get to play against pros like the Montrose Magpies!” said Jackie excitedly. “We can go tomorrow to the club’s headquarters and sign up, it’s just right there,” she added while pointing to a two-stories building just in front of the female quarters, all the way across the courtyard next to the Great Hall.

__

“Yes, that’d be okay,” answered Wyn, not entirely convinced. He didn’t know if he wanted to remain part of the Hogwarts’ housing system, but he opted to not go into that subject. “But you should totally sign up for Quidditch, you were our best Chaser by a long shot.”

__

“Aw, I’m going to blush,” said Jackie with a laugh, while elbowing him.

__

They entered the Cloister again, and then they went through the Entrance Hall to reach the big double door of the Great Hall. This building was at least half the size of the one in Hogwarts. It had a tall ceiling — though not an enchanted one — and three big tables ran along it. Clusters of paintings were collected in every available space of the walls and there were big windows on top. A big table was reserved for the staff at the end of the room. To illuminate it, there were hundreds of small light spheres that moved around the hall and slowly changed colours from a strong white all the way to a shiny orange, with a bit of sunny yellow in the middle. The Great Hall was designed to house at least three hundred students at the same time, though it usually never reached full capacity aside from the punctual festivities throughout the year. After all, at least a fifth part of the student body didn’t live on campus.

__

They had a long wooden bench on each side of the tables to sit, and what surprised Wyn and Jackie was that, even when the tables seemed full of people, they quickly found a space for them. They looked behind them and, while more students were arriving, all of them could sit at the tables with no problem at all.

__

“That’s wicked, mate,” said Jackie with a smile while admiring the enchantment.

__

But Wyn wasn’t paying too much attention. Instead, his eyes were scanning the hall looking for _that girl_. And he found her — she was having a laugh next to Victoire Weasley. I think it’s time I describe her a little bit more. As I said before, she was a year older than Wyn, and she was a beautiful Indian girl with night-black hair tied with a braid that fell gracefully over her left shoulder. She had intense amber eyes and a contagious smile, though she seemed shier than her famous friend.

__

“There she is again,” said Wyn to Jackie, yearning.

__

“Oh, right,” said Jackie, following her friend’s look. “I just remembered. I asked for your little crush and a girl told me her name.”

__

Wyn quickly turned around, eagerly.

__

“Well, come on, then!” he rushed her. Jackie frowned at him.

__

“Don’t you dare to push me ‘round, Wyn Owen Penoyre,” she threatened him while pointing him with her finger.

__

“All right, all right, I’m sorry. Could you tell me, please, Jackie, beautiful thing, sweet, pretty cupcake?” he asked, pulling his best sad puppy dog look. Jackie rolled her eyes, smiling sideways, and agreed to tell him.

__

“Her name’s Naya Elliott-Dayal, a former Ravenclaw like that Weasley next to her. And I’m pretty sure you can recognize the guy Naya’s talking to.”

__

Wyn looked again and saw something he had overlooked. Next to Naya was Richard John, also a year older than him. John was not only a very handsome man with his shiny light brown hair, his perfect white teeth and his ebony skin, but he was also a former Head Boy, prefect, Quidditch captain for Slytherin and one of the most popular students Wyn had ever encountered at Hogwarts. The only idea of having that kind of competition made him lose his appetite. Wyn dropped his face onto the table so he didn’t have to look.

__

“ _Omygod_ ,” he mumbled.

__

As her sole answer, Jackie hit him on the back of the head.

__

“Ouch!” he exclaimed, looking up again. “Why did you do that?”

__

“Because you’re behaving like an idiot! You don’t even know her yet, so don’t start with some jealous crap, all right?” she said firmly and clearly annoyed.

__

“Okay, I’m sorry,” said Wyn, taken by surprise for her reaction. She mumbled something to herself and looked away.

__

Jackie saw the last of the teaching staff take their places at the big table. There were more than thirty wizards and witches greeting and talking to each other, with three sorts of celebrities among them: William Weasley, Dean Thomas and Rolf Scamander. Jackie was going to tell Wyn when, suddenly, and for just a few seconds, she caught the glance of two grey eyes that were briefly staring at her before moving away. They belonged to a guy with dark blue hair who was wearing a light blue scarf made of silk. He seemed to be part of a group, but wasn’t talking to anyone. Jackie frowned and bit her lip; something about that boy was rather odd and hypnotic at the same time, though she couldn’t understand why.

__

But she didn’t have the time anyway. Soon, the feast began and the three long tables were filled with food, drinks and chattering. They couldn’t think of enjoying themselves too much, though, because the very next day they were finally going to start their new and exciting university life.


	3. The House Club

The clock announced that 7:59 a.m. had arrived at Wyn and Scott’s room in the male quarters. There was a quiet clarity outside with that sky-blue tone that anticipated the arrival of the first sun rays. In exactly one minute, someone was going to scream his heart out, and that someone was...

“AHHHH!” screamed Scott Floyd, jumping up in the bed when he heard a strange noise in the room. It wasn’t much of a noise, rather a melody... like a song...

“What the bloody hell is that thing?!” he yelled at Wyn, who woke up immediately. Scott took out his wand and started to point it everywhere. Wyn blinked repeatedly trying to understand what was happening. “It’s coming from your bloody bag, Maggot!” Scott added, clearly annoyed by the song.

Wyn got out of bed and reached his trunk inside of his wardrobe. Moving some stuff around, he found the cause of all that trouble. He had set an alarm in his mobile phone to ring at eight o’clock that morning, and he had completely forgotten about it.

“Sorry, sorry, it was my alarm clock,” he apologized after turning it off.

“What the hell, mate,” complained Scott, covering his face with his pillow. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Eight,” yawned Wyn.

“It’s too damn early! And how was your Muggle crap working?”

“Because they teach Muggle technology here and there’s no point if it doesn’t work, innit?” Wyn answered while preparing a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. He needed a good, hot shower to wash his anxiety away. He was starting Magical Medical College that morning and he didn’t know if he was going to be good at it or, even worse, if he was going to like it.

When he returned to the bedroom fifteen minutes later, he found Scott sleeping sprawled again like he didn’t have anything important to do that day. Wyn finished dressing, put his light blue robe on and left the room with a backpack hanging from his shoulder. He headed to the Great Hall, hoping to meet Jackie there.

On his way, he chose to take a different route, one that led him through the Waffling Courtyard. It wasn’t too different from the one he visited the day before, with its trees, bushes and benches. In the middle he found another statue, this one belonging to the wizard Adalbert Waffling, the magical theoretician credited to have written everything there was to know about magic. When Wyn passed by it the statue was peacefully sleeping.

Five minutes later he found Jackie in one of the three tables of the Great Hall. The room wasn’t as crowded as the night before, but he could sense the buzz of anticipation for the start of the semester than fatigue for the early hours.

“Good morning!” Jackie greeted him, while making a space on the bench. “Here, have a toast.”

“Cheers,” answered Wyn, sitting next to her. “How’s your day looking?”

“Easy. I only have one class in the morning, and it’s Advanced Care of Magical Creatures I. And guess what?” she asked, with a mouthful of bacon. “Rolf Scamander teaches it!”

“Yeah, my dad told me about it,” Wyn said, more interested in the bowl of sausages than in the grandson of some famous magizoologist that lived like a century ago.

“But that’s not all!” exclaimed Jackie excited. “Yesterday I saw William Weasley among the staff, with the scars and everything!”

Wyn nodded silently, not at all surprised by that revelation. “My dad told me that too. He signed Mr. Weasley as Head of Magical Banking College after the death of Ragnok the Goblin earlier this year,” he explained while he poured a bit of cinnamon on his tea.

“He’s the same Weasley father of Victoire, right? Poor girl, it has to be awful having your parent attending college with you.”

“Girl, seriously?” asked Wyn, turning to her in disbelief.

“Oh, shit, sorry, mate. I forgot,” she answered with a smirk. “What did you get today?”

Wyn took his schedule from his backpack and handed it to her. “Advanced Potions I from nine to twelve and Human Biology I from two to four,” he said flatly.

“Well, at least you’re good with potions,” answered Jackie, studying the rest of his schedule. “Apparently we don’t have more than two classes a day, and some days we only have one. I don’t have anything this afternoon, so after four we can go to the House Club.”

Wyn hadn’t given much of a thought about it since the day before and now he was too nervous to think about the clubs, so he just nodded and finished his breakfast quickly. Ten minutes before nine, he headed towards the Advanced Potions building. It was a big structure with the external side facing the entrance road and the internal facing the Medical Courtyard. St Mungo’s Tower rose in the corner next to the main gate and on the other side of the road it had its twin sister, the Wizengamot Tower. Though Myrddin’s colleges didn’t have all their buildings in the same area, the Magical Medical College and the Magical Law College had theirs in their own quarters. At the same time, these two quarters were facing each other separated by the entrance road and they gained fame for constantly competing between each other. Both colleges wanted to be the most important ones in Myrddin.

With that said — and going back to the story — Wyn passed the greenhouses and the Human Biology building before reaching his destination. The Advanced Potions wing had classrooms for its six levels and other rooms to study or practice. Wyn entered the Potions I classroom and took a sit down in the middle. It didn’t take more than a minute before Scott Floyd appeared and sat next to him without asking permission and just imposing his presence with his bag and his bravado.

“Do you mind?” Wyn asked him, clearly annoyed by his presence. He already had to share a room with Floyd and he wasn’t up to stand him in his classes too.

“No,” answered the ginger-haired boy. Without even flinching, Scott started to play with his quill while waiting for the class to start.

Now that all students were present, Professor Ginevra Merton entered the classroom. She was a witch in his early sixties, five feet tall and looked very skinny though her robes seemed twice her size. She had an upturned noise and her eyes were squinting.

“Welcome to your first semester,” she greeted them with a high-pitched voice. “I’m Professor Merton and I’ll be in charge of your Potions classes this year. This is one of two subjects you’re going to have throughout your Healer career, so I expect you to take it seriously.”

Everyone was paying absolute attention, except Scott who seemed more interested in turning around his opened ink pot without spilling the content.

“You’re going to learn the basics of healing potion making and, eventually, you’ll know how to save someone’s life with barely a few ingredients you can find even in a Muggle’s kitchen,” she explained, tapping the palm of her hand with her wand. “Now open your books, we’ll start with the Fever Down Potion. It’s simple, so I think half an hour should be enough.”

The students began almost immediately. Jackie wasn’t wrong when she said Wyn was good with potions and antidotes, one of the few subjects he didn’t struggle in Hogwarts. He read and reread the list of ingredients and the recipe at least three times before starting to prepare his tools. Meanwhile, Scott gave his book a single glance and then went directly to the ingredients.

Five minutes later, Wyn found himself utterly concentrated in the task at hand when the severed head of a scarab hit him in his right ear. He turned around and saw his roommate laughing quietly.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Wyn in a whisper. Floyd mocked him by repeating his words.

Wyn ignored him and went back to his work. Another five minutes went by and Floyd charged again, this time smearing a piece of parchment with saliva and shooting it with his middle finger against Wyn’s ingredients.

“Seriously, you have to stop right now, I’m telling you,” Wyn warned him, really tempted to explode Scott’s cauldron in front of him. Probably if he didn’t overthink everything, he would’ve done something like that, but he was afraid to start his career with the wrong foot.

“Okay, okay, mate, no need to lose your nerve,” answered Scott, going back to his own work. He didn’t stay quiet though, because a few minutes before time was up, Scott approached Wyn’s cauldron and peered at it.

“Mm,” he murmured, “I think you put one too many pieces of ginger in there.”

“I didn’t ask you, didn’t I?” Wyn replied reluctantly and out loud. That was enough for Professor Merton to approach them, not very pleased with their chattering.

“What do we have here? I saw you two talking too much in just half an hour,” she said disapprovingly. “Let’s start with you, Mr...”

“Wyn, Wyn Penoyre,” he mumbled.

“Ah, Penoyre. Interesting,” said Professor Merton, clearly recognizing his last name. “Well, what do you have there?”

Wyn went pale, nervous; he then picked a glass with his hands shaking and poured a spoonful of potion in there. The witch picked it up when he handed it to her and smelt it quickly.

“Too much ginger,” she said in a second and then she gave the glass back. Next she pointed at Floyd and asked him the same with a gesture of her hand. Scott did the honours with a smirked face and waited for her to smell his own concoction.

“This is much better, exactly as it should be. Well done,” she congratulated him and then returned to the front of the classroom, leaving Wyn astonished. How did that happen? He saw Scott practically doing nothing all class beyond annoying him. That was impossible.

While Professor Merton began with her theoretical lesson about minor illnesses and their relation with potions, on the other side of campus Jackie Ireland was having a much better experience with her first class.

*** * ***

After breakfast, she had gone through a pathway between the area shared by the Magical Law College and the Magical Banking College with a few minutes to spare before reaching the big glass dome at the end of campus that housed thousands of magical creatures and fantastic beasts. As must things in the wizarding world, the external size of the dome wasn’t much bigger than the Great Hall, but the interior was what mattered. However, before we go into that, let’s introduce the teacher.

Professor Rolf Scamander was waiting for his new students at the entrance of the dome. He was a brown haired wizard in his mid-forties, dressed with a robe and other clothes designed to work with different types of creatures. He was famous for being the grandson of Newt Scamander — the author of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ —, for his marriage with former Dumbledore’s Army Luna Lovegood and for his work in the _Daily Prophet_ as Chief Consultant Magizoologist. He also served as the Head of the Magical Creatures College at Myrddin.

“Good morning, everyone!” he greeted them with a big smile. “Are you excited about the new semester?”

There were a few “ _Yeah!”_ among the crowd, but most of them stood there eagerly.

“Very well,” Professor Scamander continued. “Behind me we have the Dome where you are going to have some of your classes. Because you chose this career, I imagine that at the very least you like animals and creatures, and you want to take care of them and protect them. And yes, that also goes for all of you who are applying for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

After he said that, a blonde student raised his hand.

“Yes?” asked Professor Scamander.

“What’s the difference between a magizoologist and a Magical Creatures Agent?”

“Good question,” said Professor Scamander as if he was waiting for it. “Those of you who chose to become magizoologists are going to study magical creatures and other similar entities. The term _wizarding naturalist_ is also accepted. The _motus_ here is to ‘care, protect and rescue’ those creatures that need help and can’t defend for themselves. This also applies for Dragonologists.”

Jackie smiled sideways and knew that that was exactly what she was going to do. She also loved Quidditch, it doesn’t hurt to say, but taking care of animals had always been a very important part of her life.

“Now, agents work primarily for the Ministry and have different and important tasks to take care of. The most crucial one: hide the magical creatures, beings and spirits from the Muggle community, and I’m talking here about having to handle a dragon if it gets loose over London. So, yes, it’s _also_ taking care of these creatures, but in relation with the wizarding and not-wizarding societies. Is that clear enough?”

“Yes, professor,” said the boy, upon realizing he was the only one who spoke, turned red, while his classmates nodded in agreement.

“Fantastic!” exclaimed Professor Scamander. “Now, you’re not going to find all our creatures in here,” he said pointing at the Dome, “because we keep the most dangerous ones in the _Doom Isle_.”

Someone snorted in amusement. “Is that really what it’s called?”

“No, it isn’t, but you’ll find your doom if you enter there without permission, and I’m not having a laugh here,” he warned them while keeping a side smile. “You might know that behind this walls going in this direction,” he pointed to the backside of the Dome, “there’s a long and wide river and in the other side we have the Cursed Forest that it’s not in Myrddin’s grounds — and it’s also a place I strongly suggest you not to visit. Is in that river that you’ll find the isle, and you may only go there during your Defence Against Dangerous Creatures class. If we find you there in any other circumstance, you’ll be expelled immediately.”

Jackie tried to have a glimpse of the isle through the gates, but it wasn’t in her line of sight. Now she was very curious to know what they had in there. Maybe a dragon? How wicked would it be to see an actual basilisk?

“Right, I made you wait long enough, let’s go in and begin with our first assignment,” said Professor Scamander while opening the doors of the Dome.

As I said before, never trust a magic building. The crystal dome was big enough on the outside, but inside it, it looked like a completely different world. There were no walls, no dome, only a red brick path that separated different biomes full of creatures and animals doing their daily routines. Some of them stopped to watch the students pass by, but only a bunch of nifflers stood close, showing special interest in the students’ belongings.

“This is so wicked,” muttered Jackie, walking between two tall, tropical trees. She could see in the distance a big snowy mountain, and not far away from it there were hot, peaceful sandy dunes. Surrounded by all those things that made her heart beat harder witch excitement, she felt at home.

“ _C’est très beau, non?_ ” a voice said next to her ear.

Jackie turned around quickly and saw those hypnotic grey eyes from the night before staring at her.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“ _Pardon_. I said that it is beautiful,” the young man repeated again in English, but with a distinctive French accent. The magical artificial sun inside the dome made his dark blue hair shine, contrasting it with his pale skin. He also had a sharp jaw and thick eyebrows.

The girl looked at him, taken by surprise by his sudden appearance, and then she turned back to the natural surroundings around them.

“Yes, it’s very pretty all right,” she answered. Her heart was beating fast, but she didn’t understand why. On the one hand, he looked strange and made her nervous with his deep look, but on the other, he had this mysterious energy that seemed to hold a secret that only he knew.

“I saw you yesterday at the feast,” he said.

Jackie already knew that, but what did he want her to say? _‘I saw you too’_? Instead, she chose a more direct approach.

“Sorry, but, who are you?”

The young man smirked. “Yes, _c’est vrai_ , my name is Arnaud Lenoir. I came to study a few courses with other students from France and Espagne.”

Arnaud moved his gaze away from Jackie and wandered it elsewhere. He looked a few years older than her, but he was a few inches shorter.

“Did you move here recently?” she asked with curiosity. Normally boys didn’t approach her like that; not because she wasn’t pretty, but because she hung around a lot with Wyn and she liked it that way, just the two of them chatting, joking, eating and studying among other things they shared in common. Until, well... you’ll know.

“Last summer,” answered Arnaud. “This is a fair place, but I am from the sea. I miss ‘ome sometimes,” he added with no sadness in his voice.

“Are you here because you want to be a magizoologist?”

“ _Non_ ,” said Arnaud, looking back at her. “I am studying alchemy, something they don’t teach in ‘ere, but there are some classes that ‘elp me. This is one of them, but there’s also Ancient Runes and Theory on Dark Magic.”

Jackie sneered at the idea of people still wanting to become alchemists.

“Isn’t that an outdated profession? I mean, someone already discovered the philosopher’s stone and all, is there really more to it than that?” she asked as if he was just joking about it.

Arnaud stared at her briefly before looking back at the creatures closer to them. He didn’t seem mad but he didn’t reply either, though Jackie heard him mumbling something like “ _La célèbre pierre philosophale_ ”. His silence made her regret her words. Being an alchemist was a big thing, then?

“We live in a world that we don’t comprehend,” said Arnaud at last. “Moldus ‘ave their technology and they know nothing. Wizards ‘ave magic that they know ‘ow to use but they don’t understand ‘ow it works. The world — this Earth — ‘as the answers, and what is the world but elements? We’ll never find the truths if you don’t study the elements that keep them.”

Jackie was stumped by that answer. She had never really given a thought about what was going on behind magic, because it was just that — magic. Why did it matter how things worked? But, then again, she wanted to know how magical creatures lived in order to know how to take care of them...

The group of students was stopping by a signal of Professor Scamander, and Arnaud Lenoir took the opportunity to say goodbye.

“’ave a good class, _cheveux argentés_ ,” he winked at her before disappearing into the crowd.

Jackie saw him leave and bit her lip as one of her fingers began to wind a silver lock of her hair. “ _I blew it_ ,” she thought while turning her attention back to the professor and the class at hand. Her mind went on a rollercoaster of magical creatures, French looks and alchemist’s theories for the next few hours.

*** * ***

It was ten past four in the afternoon and Jackie was sitting in the Cloister waiting for Wyn. A pair of ghosts from the 18th century passed by next to her, floating in the air while discussing some events from their time. Myrddin had a small population of ghosts with no more than a dozen entities wandering around campus. One of the university’s regulations established that only ghosts that died in the vicinity could stay in the grounds.

Being a deserted area in Snowdonia, one would think that there couldn’t be too many wizards who died there, but the Cursed Forest was the stage of a big battle during the Goblin Rebellion of 1752, so all of Myrddin’s ghosts were casualties of said battle and that was all they talked about.

Through the greyish-silver transparency of the spirits, Jackie saw Wyn approaching her from one of the passageways. To her surprise, he seemed rather excited, sporting a smile from ear to ear. She got up and joined him midway. Jackie had already dropped her uniform back at her room.

“Hey you! Didn’t see you during lunch. Did something happen in class?” she asked curiously.

“Not in a class,” he answered, unable to stop smiling. “I mean, things did happen in them, of course, Potions was... well, it had its issues, you know— _Floyd_ ,” answered Wyn and he didn’t need to explain any more than that. “And Human Biology was actually pretty interesting. Professor Dalton is a Squib and she worked in Muggles’ hospitals, so she knows her stuff. I didn’t have a class like that since I left my Muggle school.”

“So then what? You didn’t receive enough homework to last you until next summer as everyone else?” asked Jackie while they headed towards the Lufkin Courtyard and the Hufflepuff Club’s headquarters.

“Sadly, yes. What the hell is that about?” he complained but still in a very good mood. “But that doesn’t matter!”

“Spill the beans then!”

“Ok, listen up. In between classes I went to the Library — Yes, I know, it’s just the first day, but because I signed up to Medical College a few days ago, I didn’t buy all my books, so I needed one. That’s not important. The thing is that I met her!”

Jackie raised an eyebrow.

“Naya! She was there too and she was alone, so I went and talked to her.”

“Brilliant?” answered Jackie unsure.

“Yes! She’s a bit shy, but she’s funny. She likes cats, she likes reading, her favourite colour is yellow and she drinks her tea with cinnamon! I mean, come on, that’s me!” he said over excitedly.

Jackie smirked at him amused. “Congrats, you found your doppelganger!”

“And that’s not all,” he continued as if he hadn't heard her. “Do you remember my grandma’s chocolate theory? She likes it with liqueur, my grandpa doesn’t, and then vice versa with the hazelnut ones. They complement each other; they can share the chocolate box. Well, Naya likes it with liqueur; I don’t, so there you have it! The theory works!”

“Aren’t you exaggerating it a bit?” asked Jackie, frowning.

“I’m telling you, Naya’s amazing,” he said with a glow in his eyes. “Maybe she’s _the one_.”

“Mate, relax, you’re just going to scare her off.”

But they stopped talking when they reached their destination. The door was yellow and black and the front face of the building was covered with statues of dark badgers. A big Hufflepuff flag waved on top, just above a shield of the same Hogwarts House. They stepped inside and found themselves in a small reception where every decoration was yellow. A young blonde witch with pigtails knotted with black bows was writing in a piece of parchment behind a desk.

When she looked at them with two electrifying green eyes, she smiled with enthusiasm and greeted them.

“Hello there! Are you fellow Hufflepuffs?”

“Yes, we are,” answered Jackie while Wyn looked around, understandably distracted.

“Then come here and sign up! We have a comfy common room, games, a place to study, _friends_ to study with and a lot of fun!” she exclaimed, putting aside her previous parchment and giving them a couple of forms to sign on.

“I’m Jackie Ireland, by the way,” Jackie introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, Jackie! My name’s Ivy and I’ll be your helper here for the rest of the year. I’m studying Magic & Muggle Affairs and I got behind two semesters, but I’ll finally finish it this year! — _I hope_ ,” she said very quickly before putting her cuffs under her jaw with tearful eyes.

Jackie smiled a bit nervous about the prospect of not finishing her career in time. That was a thing? Afterwards she turned to Wyn and asked him to introduce himself.

“I’m Wyn. Just Wyn,” he muttered. Jackie sighed.

“Well, ‘ _Just Wyn_ ’, are you going to sign up or what?”

He looked at her undecided.

“Are you sure you want to start with this all over again? You heard my f — my headmaster,” he corrected himself trying not to sound too weird, “Maybe it’s okay that Hogwarts’ over and we just have to experience college as... just college... because...”

But he stopped at her stern, intense gaze of disapproval. Wyn gulped and then proceeded to sign the form quickly. “It was just a thought, nothing else. We can have fun as Hufflepuffs again and no one’s the wiser.”

Jackie smiled happily and then turned again to Ivy.

“What about the Quidditch team? Are you organizing trials?”

“Yes! But you’ll have to talk about that with Harry Hastings, he’s our club president,” said Ivy while giving them two Hufflepuff pins to put on their robes, bags or wherever they wanted. “Oh, by the way!” she added excitedly. “The clubs are going to celebrate their first...” Ivy lowered her voice in this part, “... _party_ of the year on Hallowe’en night in the...” she lowered her voice even further, “...great clear of the _Cursed Forest_.”

Jackie opened her eyes with excitement at the idea of a big party, where they could join all their Myrddin’s classmates to celebrate and, maybe, some foreign students as well...

Wyn suddenly started paying attention and she knew his imagination wasn’t departing far from hers. Jackie frowned thoughtfully at the prospects and her eyes wandered towards Ivy’s previous written parchment. She could see it was some sort of story about the famous Harry Potter and someone else where the sentence “ _they kissed_ ” was strongly underlined.

“What’s that?” Jackie asked curiously.

Ivy’s face immediately flushed red and she hid the paper in the blink of an eye.

“It’s... eh... — It’s nothing... — Don’t worry about it... — Thank you for joining the club and you can enjoy the premises now,” Ivy answered utterly embarrassed. She sat down behind the desk again and pretended that an issue of the _Daily Prophet_ on her side was the most interesting thing in the world.

Jackie didn’t want to bother her anymore so she shook her head to Wyn pointing to the closest door. They entered a spacious common room where a handful of students were chatting, playing games and eating from a tray of cupcakes.

“Look at this! We have to pay a fee of one sickle a month to be part of the club!” exclaimed Wyn while looking at his registration form. Jackie snorted.

“Forget about that and come with me to see how the thing with the Quidditch team works,” she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him with her.

But neither of them was really thinking about the club or Quidditch. What their thoughts were revolving around was the prospect of what a big, clandestine party could offer them.


	4. The Hallowe'en Party

Since the news about the Hallowe’en party got out, every student in Myrddin was looking forward to it. For all the first semesters it was going to be their first real party in their life now that they had reached adulthood and were free to do whatever they wanted. However, they had to wait nearly two months for it, and in the meantime their classes and homework didn’t get easier — they got biblical.

Wyn’s other two subjects were Advanced Herbology I with Professor Jonathan Graham — in the biggest set of greenhouses he ever saw, with all the magical plants and herbs you could imagine: from the ruthless Devil’s Snare to the carnivorous Titanic Mantrap — and Advanced Transfigurations I with Professor Calvin Hobbes. They had so much work to do that even Floyd didn’t find much time to bother him.

Wyn had to postpone his visit to Emma and he only left Myrddin once at the beginning of October for her mother’s birthday. Jackie wasn’t having it much better. Studies on Magical Creatures & Beings I with Professor Alastor Hastings didn’t present much of a challenge for her — except the part that involved goblins — but Advanced Charms I with Professor Henry Harlow was a real pain in the ass because it didn’t play to her strengths.

Her last class was a bit of a black and white experience, though. Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts I wasn’t easy either, but Professor Matilda Cromwell was one of the most prolific witches in the wizarding world. Not older than thirty, Professor Cromwell had an energetic personality, fast-moving gestures and a dexterity Jackie had never seen before. She was considered one the best duelist of her generation and had invented the double-wand duel style.

And added to all that Jackie was also selected to play Quidditch for the Hufflepuff team, so now she had weekly practices on top of her academic workload.

Myrddin’s academic year was divided into two semesters covering roughly five months each, the first one concluding in January. That meant that the students had their end of semester exams a few weeks after the Christmas holidays and that didn’t give them much time to joke around. Stress among the student body used to escalate pretty quickly every year. All the study rooms and the Library were full at all times and people had little to zero patience with pranksters and troublemakers.

None of that seemed to translate to the clubs’ headquarters during the weekends however, where clandestine alcohol and other substances were passed from hand to hand. Everyone was expecting something of the sort — but on a bigger scale — for Hallowe’en.

Myrddin had organized a feast at eight o’clock, but the students were eagerly waiting for midnight.

“Guess what!” said an excited Jackie that Thursday’s morning. The last day of October had finally arrived and no one was thinking about classes or homework.

“Guat?” asked Wyn with his mouth full of porridge.

“The Portkeys are going to play tonight!”

“They are famous, right?” Wyn knew them only by name. He was more into Muggle bands.

“Of course, mate! They released their first album last year, but Paul Richards — the pianist — is finishing his studies in the Wizarding Orchestra here at Myrddin. It’s going to be so wicked, mate, I can’t wait!”

Wyn smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm, but he had other things to be excited about. During the past weeks he went frequently to the Library looking to bump into Naya again, though he tried to make it casual. He succeeded just once a few days before Hallowe’en. She was sitting alone in one corner trying to concentrate on a pile of Magical Law books next to her, when Wyn approached her and asked her if he could sit there. Everywhere else was packed.

“Yes, of course,” she answered with a smile. At least she had not forgotten their conversation from a few weeks back.

Wyn sat down and pulled out his textbooks. He wanted to say something funny to start a conversation, but his mind was completely blocked. He was feeling like the most boring man alive, his mind going completely blank. Luckily, she was the first to talk.

“Healer career, innit? That looks very difficult,” she said staring at the human body diagram that Wyn was laying in front of him.

“You’re not wrong,” answered Wyn with a silly smile. “My mum’s a nurse, though, so she’s giving me a hand.”

“That’s useful! Well, as far as Muggle medicine is concerned.”

“Are you going to be an Attorney?” he asked.

The Solicitor and Attorney career had been established after the Ministry passed the _Black Act_ in 2004, in honour of Sirius Black and his 1981 mistrial — or the lack of one. Now it was illegal if a wizard was not represented by an Attorney before the Wizengamot.

“Close enough,” she said, showing him some of her parchments. “I’m not very good at public speaking,” she blushed a little bit, “so I’m going for Barrister. I’d like to find a position in the Wizengamot Administration Services or in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.”

“Yikes, that sounds heavy. This was your second year here, right?”

“Yes, it is,” answered Naya. “My career covers three years, but with all the stuff they give us to study I’ll finish it when I turn twenty five.”

“Yeah, I know. This is just my first semester and I’m already missing my N.E.W.T.s,” said Wyn with a shy smile. “Though, when I turn twenty five I hope to be at least engaged.”

“You do?” she asked curiously.

“Well, yes,” he laughed awkwardly. “I mean, it’s not like I’m thinking about marriage... often — maybe just a small wedding in April with a lot of food and music,” he joked. “Is it weird?”

“No. But it’s not usual, either,” Naya smiled amused.

“So _it is_ weird. But why? Think about it. No one knows where they are going to be in the next five years, you can just meet the right person at the right time in the right place and everything will come together. Does it sound crazy?”

Naya placed a finger over her lips thoughtfully.

“It’s not crazy; you’re just a bit intensely romantic.”

Wyn put a hand to his heart as if he had been shot. Naya smiled at him.

“Intensely romantic is fine,” she said. This time he smiled back at her.

“So, are you going to the party?” asked Wyn, changing the subject after a few moments of silence.

“Probably, yes,” Naya answered, sliding the quill between her lips unsure. “And you?”

“Yes, I think it’s going to be fun.”

Just then Victoire Weasley appeared through the door and she beckoned Naya to join her.

“I have to go. Maybe I’ll see you at the party,” Naya smiled Wyn goodbye.

“Looking forward to it!” he answered before she turned her back and joined her friend.

Now Hallowe’en had finally arrived. That night in his bedroom after the feast, Wyn took his time to choose a good outfit for the party. While he was deciding on a green shirt over a white T-shirt, Scott Floyd was lying in his bed reading a comic strip about the impossible romance between a hag and a Muggle.

“Where are you going? The feast’s already over,” said Scott from behind the magazine.

“I know,” said Wyn while putting on a jean. “But the Clubs’ party starts soon.”

“What party?” asked Scott, straightening up. Wyn turned to him, surprised.

“For real? The party that everyone’s been talking about for months?”

Scott’s ears turned the same colour as his hair, ashamed of being left out, but he quickly changed his expression and pretended not to be interested.

“Ah, yes, that. Who wants to go to a lame party, anyway? Only lame people like you and that stupid shirt,” he muttered, hiding back behind his comic.

Wyn sighed and finished with his cologne before leaving the room. One more thing to be looking forward to, he thought — a night-free from Scott Floyd.

*** * ***

Meanwhile, Jackie was leaving the female quarters sporting a black dress over bumblebee tights and covered by a purple cropped denim jacket. Though she was a half-blood witch raised in a wizarding family — her father had left them after he found out about his wife’s secret when Jackie wasn’t even five years old — she still dressed in a Muggle fashion, as most young wizards and witches did.

After the Second Wizarding War and the efforts of the former Ministry for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt to unite wizards and Muggles — as far as the statute of secrecy allowed —, the turn of the century saw a new generation of wizards arise. Pure-blood families were practically obsolete and it was uncommon if you didn’t have at least a close Muggle relative. Young wizards and witches became more influenced by Muggle culture as never before, and they found Muggle’s fashion in clothes much more attractive than the old traditional, boring robes and cloaks.

That night Jackie was accompanied by her friend Lois Greenwall and they headed towards the Cursed Forest. These woods were outside Myrddin’s grounds, so they weren’t actually forbidden for the student body, though by its own name it wasn’t recommended to set foot in them. Jackie and Lois followed a group of second year students through a bridge in the river, closed to the famous doomed isle of monsters, and then right into the forest.

“This is gonna be so sick!” said Lois with her father’s American accent. Once they were covered by the shadows of the trees, she pulled out a smoke and lit it.

“What are you doing?” asked Jackie, taken aback by her friend’s attitude. She wasn’t used to people her age smoking. “That thing’s going to kill you.”

“Chill, girl,” Lois answered with a smirk. “Only affects Muggles, we have potions and stuff to deal with it. We’re in college now, just join the vibes.”

“That’s not tobacco, innit?” Jackie smelled the air around her friend.

“No, it’s not,” said Lois with an even bigger smile. Jackie laughed at it but was interrupted by three of their former Hufflepuff roommates.

Jackie’s mood quickly turned as soon as she crossed eyes with Lucy Langley, who was walking in between the other two girls. Jackie gulped at the sight of Lucy’s hateful stare and the five of them stopped right in the middle of the path.

“Well, this is awkward,” giggled Lois before she gave another puff to her joint. Lucy — with her light brown curly hair and her short height — didn’t pay attention to her.

“So — ehm — how are you?” asked Jackie carefully.

“Oh piss off, Jacqueline,” replied Lucy. She then kept walking with her friends, out of Jackie’s sight.

“Don’t mind her,” said Lois when they resumed their way. “Wyn should be dealing with his exes anyway.”

But Jackie didn’t respond. They went the rest of the way in silence before reaching the lights on the big clear in the forest. Several bonfires were scattered throughout the place and they saw a bunch of tables with drinks and food on the sides. Dozens of jack-o-lanterns were hovering in the air, while a group of bats were fluttering from one side to the other. More than a hundred students were standing in groups with cups in their hands, chatting and having a good time, while some others were smoking pipes under big trees, and a whole lot were standing around a big wooden platform in the middle of the clearing.

Over the platform they saw three guys and a girl dressed with green jackets and tight trousers. Happiness fuelled Jackie’s body in a second.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed before pulling Lois from her arm to take her closer to the stage. The Portkeys were just finishing a song when the girls pushed their way through the young crowd. Fritz Galore, the lead singer with a blonde mane that reached below his waist, was holding his wand waiting for his bandmates to finish the last notes. They were Jen Dove with her amazing violin, Paul Richards on the piano and his older brother Ricky Richards with a guitar and a harmonica floating in front of his mouth.

“Yeaah, happy Hallowe’en, Myrddin!” shouted Fritz to his wand that amplified his voice to be heard around the whole clear. “We’re goin’ to have a fuckin’ great time, my wizards, witches and warlocks!”

Everyone shouted back with excitement, raising their cups and spilling beer, rum and many other substances.

“We have a new song for you, mates, debuting tonight here in the Cursed Forest! Let’s rock it!”

Jackie began to jump thrillingly with everyone else, just letting her inner fangirl take over. Ricky’s guitar sounded with a high, magically electric note before being followed by Jen’s violin and Paul’s keyboard. The last one to join the song was the vocalist.

_I can’t deny this loving attraction_

_I want to give you my satisfaction,_

_You will forget_

_That pain that’s making you upset_

_Surrend’ yourself to your feelings_

_Live every moment up to the ceilings,_

_You will forget_ _That pain that’s making you upset_

_Keep your valo-oh-oh-oh-our_

_And good things will come through the door,_

_Keep your valo-oh-oh-oh-our_

_And all of your dreams will come to your shore_

_If you really want it you’ll fly away_

_You just really need to trust in your strength, don’t stop_

_Come on let’s go together no need to keep it waiting_

_If you really want it you’ll fly away_

_If you want a new sky to play_

_And reach the stars of yesterday_

_Oooh myyyy looove!_

The crowd broke into applause and cheers. In between laughs, Jackie told Lois that she was going to fetch herself a drink and soon after she found herself next to the beverage table. There she poured a pint of beer into a goblet and looked around trying to find Wyn. They had agreed to meet directly in the forest, but he was nowhere to be seen. While doing that, her eyes stopped over Arnaud Lenoir, the French student she had met in her very first class but had never seen again.

Jackie smirked and approached him. Arnaud was sitting cross-legged under a tree, alone, and he was preparing himself a smoking pipe.

“Oy, you,” Jackie called him from a few feet away. He looked up and he smiled in return.

“ _Bonsoir, fille sans nom_ ,” he answered, going back to his pipe. “ _Ça va_?”

“I’m English, you know? I hardly speak one language,” said Jackie mockingly. Arnaud kept his smile, but he didn’t reply. “Did you drop the Care of Magical Creatures class?” she asked.

“Yes. It was fine, but not what I was looking for,” said Arnaud, finishing with his tobacco. “Did you miss me?”

“As if!” said Jackie, although she had wondered about his absence. She sat down next to him and he turned back at her and he met his gaze with hers, his grey eyes shining with the light of the bonfires.

“I don’t know your name, you know?”

“You never asked.”

“ _C’est vrai_.”

“Jackie Ireland, nice to meet you,” she said offering her hand to greet him. Arnaud took it elegantly and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “You are truly an old soul and not just for the alchemy thing,” she tried to sound witty but, under the shadows of the trees, she blushed a lot.

“We are as old as the universe,” answered Arnaud before going back to his pipe to light it.

Jackie wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep mocking him or just kiss him to shut him up. But she got distracted a moment later when she saw Wyn crossing through the clear pretty determined.

And that way we go.

Wyn had finally arrived at the Hallowe’en party but he didn’t find Jackie anywhere. After a few minutes of wandering around, the boy saw Naya close to a table where other Ravenclaws were preparing something foggy in a cauldron. Wyn took a deep breath and then he headed towards her. Naya saw him coming and smiled at him with a quick wave of hand.

“Hello,” he said to the lot, but looking at her specifically. There were five more people, of whom two were immersed in the cauldron and the rest — Victoire Weasley, a girl and a boy — were arguing about politics.

“But what’s really the point about it?” Victoire said heatedly.

“Don’t be thick, Vic, Ireland is its own country, there’s pride in that,” answered the guy with a clear Irish accent.

“But you lot come to study in Britain,” pointed out the other girl.

“It’s not our _fecking_ problem if Europe has less wizarding schools than I have fingers in me hand! I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy, but it’s goddamn time for us to have our own Ministry of Magic!”

Victoire sighed, annoyed. “You lot have everything you want with the Ministry here, and with all those public protests you’re just going to get the attention of Muggles.”

Wyn looked at them in silence before deciding it wasn’t worth his time. Luckily for him, Naya didn’t seem interested either.

“Enjoying the party?” she asked him.

“It’s getting better,” said Wyn with a smile. “Did I miss anything worth the tale?”

“Well, The Portkeys are killing it and some people are already heating the scene over there,” Naya giggled while nodding into the gloom not far from them. Wyn followed her look and saw a couple of girls kissing fervently.

“Their faces sound familiar,” he muttered thoughtfully.

“Grace Garrick and Sabrina Shelby, presidents of the Gryffindor and Slytherin’s clubs,” said Naya, amused. “They know how to promote inter-club camaraderie, don’t they?”

She poured a goblet of hot wine and offered it to Wyn.

“Cheers,” he said, taking it with a bit of a shaky hand. “Do you like the band?”

“Oh yes! Fritz is so handsome,” she answered looking briefly at the singer. Wyn’s stomach dropped but then he remembered Jackie’s words about not being jealous over nothing. “And you?”

“Yeah, totally,” he said quickly. “I loved their album from last year, I think we’re very lucky that — eh—,” he briefly closed his eyes trying to remember, “Richards! That Richards is attending Myrddin with us.”

It’s fair to say that he felt a little bit ashamed for stealing Jackie’s thoughts, but he really wanted to impress Naya.

“What are they talking about, by the way?” Wyn asked her while looking at Victoire and the other two. He thought it’d be better not to talk much about something he didn’t really know.

“Aren’t you following the news? The Irish Independence Party for Wizards is trying to form their own Ministry of Magic in Dublin, and today Minister Granger said to the _Daily Prophet_ that they want to reach an agreement with Ireland, but it’ll take time to even start to consider a new Ministry — and, you know,” she added in a whisper, “Granger is Vicky’s aunt, so she’s taking it a bit personal when Jordan speaks ill of her.”

“Uh, wonky,” he answered while taking a mental note that he had to start reading the news more often. “Fancy a walk?” he asked her.

“Sure,” she said. They left the other with their argument and then they surrounded the crowd that was dancing in the middle of the clear.

“Did I tell you about my grandma’s chocolate theory?” he asked her. Jackie had warned him not to bring that topic up, but he was feeling lucky that night. Naya shook her head. “It goes like this. On their very first date, my grandpa invited my grandma for a walk in the park and there they were, sitting on a bench, talking, when a street vendor approached them and offered them a box of chocolates. Because my grandpa wanted to impress her, he bought one. They ate them until only two flavours were left — hazelnut and liqueur. My grandma loves chocolate with liqueur, but my grandpa doesn’t, and the other way around with the hazelnut, so they found they complemented each other that way.”

As a sole response, Naya laughed amicably at it.

“So because I like chocolate with liqueur and you don’t, we are like destined?” she asked. Wyn blushed at the light of the bonfires.

“Well, I don’t know. I like coincidences. I like _that_ coincidence,” he answered while stopping right in front of her. His brownish amber eyes met her light amber eyes in an ecstasy that stopped time right in that moment.

And when Wyn felt that the distance between their lips was merely anecdotal, a cup full of beer flew through the air and hit his shoulder, soaking half of his shirt.

“Oh geez!” exclaimed Naya, taking a step back. Wyn turned around and saw Scott Floyd laughing at him not far away. His ears turned red with anger and a profound hate.

“Ah mate! A hundred points for me, what a shot,” said Scott still laughing. “Well, I’ll accept ninety just because I was aiming for your head.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?! Does your brain doesn’t work, you wanker?!” shouted Wyn out of himself. Scott frowned at him. “Why don’t you piss off, you bloody plunker?!”

“Hey now, mate, don’t start whinging on me,” answered Scott, meeting Wyn half way.

“You’re just a piece of shit who likes messing with everyone else, innit? What do you find funny about that, huh?” asked Wyn bringing his face closer to Scott’s. “And you call yourself a Gryffindor? You need a good pair of bollocks to be one and you’re just a little bloody wimp!”

Now Scott’s gaze was electrifying. His laboured breathing was hitting against Wyn’s nose.

“What the fuck do you know about me, _Maggot_?” Scott muttered.

“I already said what you are, _wimp_.”

Naya was looking at them in silence and not far from them Jackie and Arnaud were also paying attention to what was happening in that side of the clearing. Most students were still dancing and minding their own business, but Wyn and Scott got the attention of a small enough crowd.

“You think you are better than me, Penoyre, you daddy’s boy? Call me a coward all you like, but you’re half the man I am and you always were.”

“You sure like to talk. If you’re not a fucking wimp then prove it,” Wyn dared him without even thinking what he was saying. He just wanted some payback. “Go to the Cursed Forest, the true part of it, and let’s see how long you last. I bet you won’t last twenty minutes, _if_ you come out at all.”

Scott held his glaze and then smirked angrily.

“Fine, Maggot. And you know why? Because you wouldn’t fucking dare to do the same!”

And without letting Wyn reply, Scott turned around and lost himself in the thicket of the trees. Wyn was breathing nervous and shaky.

“Fuck,” he muttered, before turning back to Naya. She was looking at him with astonishment.

“What was that?” she asked. He didn’t know how to respond to that. Soon enough, Jackie and Arnaud were right next to them.

“What happened?” Jackie asked Wyn. He still had his fists closed.

“Floyd,” he answered. “He just—,” he tried to explain, but he couldn’t finish. Looking back at the spot where Scott had vanished, he now realized what he had done. Nor Naya nor Jackie seemed happy about what happened. On the other hand, Arnaud had put away his pipe and was staring very interested at the woods.

“Isn’t it dangerous to go in there?” he asked.

“Yes, very,” said Jackie. “Wyn, mate, I know Scott can be a pain in the ass but this could go very wrong.”

Wyn groaned a bit annoyed with her. “He had it coming and you know it,” he said, trying not to show that it hurt him that his best friend was defending his bully. “He can take care of himself.”

“I don’t know him, but you’re sounding like a prick too,” said Naya with a note of disappointment in her voice. Wyn’s heart seemed to stop briefly at her words. He gulped and tried to think of a solution fast. But there was only one and he knew it.

“Fine, you’re right,” he conceded. “I shouldn’t have said that. He started it but I played along. I’ll go fetch him.”

He headed towards the woods when he heard the sounds of steps following him. He turned around and saw Jackie going his way.

“What?” she asked. “Did you think I was going to let you go alone?”

Wyn smiled thankfully. A few seconds later Naya and Arnaud had also joined the party.

“Yes, I can’t lose my future husband after just one night, now can’t I?” Naya joked while winking at him. She seemed to think that she went a bit too hard on him. On his part, Arnaud didn’t say anything; he was more interested in the forest itself than in Wyn and Scott’s conflict.

Between smirks and frowning, Wyn led them into the woods.


End file.
